Petunia's Pain and Promise
by oaktree934
Summary: Petunia isn't cold or heartless, she is calculated and kind. Here is the story from her perspective.


Petunia had always jealously guarded her little sister, Lily. She remembered the day she was born, and even though she was only a little over three years old herself, she demanded that the new baby be included in everything she did. Their parents chuckled as the stubborn toddler refused to eat until "baby wiwwy" joined them at the table, the little bassinet pushed up next to Petunias booster chair.

The girls often wore matching outfits, and loved to walk together to the local park, pointing out all the plants and flowers overflowing from the banks of the small river, and even the scraggly ones growing alongside the lane. They did experiments, smashing the plants together and trying to invent new concoctions and create perfumes. Their mother sighed as she scrubbed their filthy muddy clothing, but smiled to see such a close bond between the girls.

All seemed well until Lily was about to finish kindergarten. Petunia, being older walked them both to primary school, when a group of local boys started teasing them.

"Oh look! Its the dirt diggers. Are you looking for treasure so you can buy some nicer clothes? You both look hideous."

"Just ignore them Lily, keep walking, only two more streets to school and we will be safe."

"No! Let me go Tuney, they shouldn't bully people."

She rounded on the much older boys.

"You lot should clear off, if you know whats good for you!"

"Lily, lets just goooooo." Petunia hissed as she grabbed the smaller girl's arm and tried to pull her away.

"No! They need to learn!"

And with that, Lily whirled her arms into the air, and started to spin. The boys laughed, what on earth was twirling like a ballerina going to teach them?

All of a sudden the dust in the lane started to twirl, and the pebbles and weeds that lined the street formed a small vortex around Lily as she spun. The boys were rooted on the spot. Lilly suddenly stopped, and all the debris flew towards the boys, who fled screaming.

Petunia was shocked, and a little scared. They walked to the school in silence, Lily skipping as if she didn't have a care in the word, and Petunia chewing her lip in deep thought.

"Lily, I think we should tell mother."

"Tell her what?"

"Lily! What you did! That wasn't nice, and it wasn't normal. How did you do it?"

Lily shrugged.

"I just did. Why does it matter, they left us alone?"

Petunia decided to let it go, and walked into the school, worried about what she should do to keep her sister safe, and keep people from finding out what she could do.

3 years later

Lily and Petunia had been noticing a strange boy at the park for a few weeks. Petunia wanted to find a new place for Lily to practice her "tricks", but Lily assured her it would be fine. He didn't look like a threat, and she was tired of having to go further and further from their house to play freely. Petunia agreed, if only to have a chance to study her sister, she was sure she was getting close to being able to do some of the smaller "tricks" herself. She didn't practice at parks though, she would wait until the whole house was asleep, and creep out to the back garden. Her worst fear was that Lily would discover her jealousy, and it would drive a wedge between them.

One afternoon the boy stepped out of the bushes that he had been hiding and announced himself. Petunia was livid. He called Lily names! And he looked so strange, the last thing they needed was someone to draw even more attention to the sister she was trying to protect. When they got home, they had a proper row.

"Stop trying to hide me from everyone Tuney! There is noting wrong with me! You're just jealous!"

That stung, and Petunia couldn't contain her bitterness.

"I am NOT hiding you Lily, don't be a baby. I am trying to protect you! Mother will have to send you away if people find out. I don't want to lose you!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Nothing I can do is dangerous. Nobody would send me anywhere."

"Lily, you are so immature! What you are doing is wrong! Its against nature! You are going to be sent to a nuthouse to live with freaks and dangerous criminals! Normal people don't make things move with their minds!"

"You are just jealous. You've always been jealous. Maybe I'll go play with Sev by myself tomorrow. I don't need you Petunia!"

And that is just what she did, leaving her sister behind for the first time, as she ventured out to find the strangely dressed boy. Petunia sat at home and pouted. She had been worried something like this would happen. That Lily would find someone who could do the special tricks she could. Petunia had been trying so hard to learn them, so that they could do it together, and not be torn apart by their differences. By the one thing Petunia couldn't learn. She had been practicing so much that her school marks had started to slip, and her mother took her to the doctor to see why she was so tired and pale all the time.

When Lily came home that evening, Petunia pretended to be asleep. She heard the muffled footsteps and the quiet knock on her door, but ignored them. She didn't think she could face her sister, and she never wanted to see that boy again.

5 years later

Petunia agreed to meet her sister at Kings Cross with her parents. She had been missing her sister, even though she was still bitter. Though Lily didn't know it, Petunia spent the school year studying her old school books. If she had been able to attend Hogwarts, she would have been the top of her class in written examinations, although unable to complete any of the practical ones. The week before Lily arrived home, Petunia made sure to put the books back, and hide all traces of her studies. She still hoped to one day show her family that she had magic too, once she was able to force it to surface. Then they would all see how wrong they had been to seperate the girls, and life would feel right again.

Lily hugged her friends on the platform. She seemed to be very popular at school, with girls and boys alike wishing her well for the summer. That Snape boy hung back from the crowd, only joining Lily as she approached her family. He didn't seem to have many friends. This made petunia happy, although she was ashamed as soon as the thought entered her head.

It just seemed so unfair. Petunia wasn't bad looking, she was tall and slim. And she was smart, although her parents and teachers didn't notice. They thought her a peculiar and moody child, spending so much time shut up in her room, studying with no marks to show for it. No one knew that it wasn't her schoolwork she was studying, it was Lily's. She was dwelling on this as she locked eyes with that awful Snape boy when it happened. He read her thoughts! She was sure of it, as he clapped a hand to his mouth and his eyes got wide. He lowered his hand and smirked at her. Petunia whirled around and marched to the car with tears in her eyes. How dare he! What an intruding busybody! She didn't speak to her sister the whole drive home, and was sent to bed with no dinner for her rudeness.

"Tuney? Tuney are you awake? Sev and I are going to the river and wanted to know if you would come with us? Tuney? Please talk to me. I don't know why you are so mad. I missed you!"

"Go away with your freak friend and leave me ALONE! I never want to see him again, and you either! Leave the normal people alone and go be freaks somewhere else!"

Lily quietly closed the door and left. Petunia spent the day in bed, refusing meals and wondering what she had done to deserve this. Her only sister taken from her by an awful rude intruding boy, and no magic in her no matter what she tried.


End file.
